Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2024 i homestyle

When it comes to new builds and renovations, there are any number of expressions you could choose to encapsulate the ups and downs of the process. When the team and I were bandying about ideas for this issue's cover lines, ‘character building’ was a phrase that stuck for us. A certain strength is required for the decision making around sale-and-purchase and consent procedures alone, so it's no mean feat to realise your dream home — especially in this economic climate. Despite the hurdles, though, creativity keeps knocking at my door — emails from architects, interior designers and proud homeowners alike popping up in my inbox as they seek to share their ideas and individuality with you. We were chuffed when interior designer and director of Ko & Ko Thandi Tipene…

World famous in Marseille, France, bistro/bar/B&B La Relève is part of the furniture, having been around since the 1940s. It'd been handed down through generations of a single family until 2013, when new owners took it over with a view to restoring and reinvigorating its lasting charm. Another upgrade last year by Junod-Marc Architects and design studio Honoré saw each of its four upstairs guest suites colourcoded according to its own theme: Mediterranean-inspired blue, tropical-1950s green, Provençal yellow and Rococo pink, with woodwork by local artisan Romain Davidico repeating across the rooms. Described by Honoré as “daydreams full of character and life”, spaces decorated in this way really do transport you to different worlds. Flip the standard script and use bold colours of similar depth as your key players with…

CITTÀ — Store profile It's Città, but now with more Città, thanks to a big new store filled with the best — and most — of this notable furniture and homeware brand. Just over the road from the New Zealand design company's former Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland destination for furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories, the new flagship occupies a former postal depot with a footprint almost double that of its predecessor. Reimagined by concept and interior studio Wonder Group, the space is awash with natural light and has a domestic feel that puts you at ease. Generous configurations of current collections let you visualise how they'd look at your house (though you might pick up on how well suited Città's chic pieces are to commercial fit-outs too). “The intention was…

At home with — PEOPLE Kiwis Kelly and Josh Müller met in Tauranga, relocated to Sydney, then — craving a slower pace for their young family — settled in Lennox Head in northern NSW. Although they initially landed in this small coastal town because they couldn't find an affordable rental elsewhere, Kelly says it turned out to be the biggest blessing. With the benefits of being 20 minutes to Byron Bay and less than an hour to the GC (and its international airport), the one-mainstreet locale is quiet and down to earth, with a genuine sense of community. So Kelly, a taste of home but with better weather?! Aotearoa is a big part of who Josh and I are, and we miss our friends and family immensely, but the incredible…

THE PROJECT Mr Mod founder Ross Morrison is the custodian of this threebedroom house in Christchurch's St Martins designed by late architect Ian Athfield. Most people who manage to secure an iconic mid-century house in New Zealand might already own one or two items that would fit seamlessly into the scheme — an Eames chair or Arco floor lamp, for instance — but would struggle to deck out the spaces in full modernist mode. Not so Mr Mod, Ross Morrison, who started his collection in the early 1990s and had just the right thing for every nook and cranny of this Ian Athfield-designed beauty — and then some. When Ross was growing up in Ōtautahi/Christchurch in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the DIY brigade was in full swing. Without the shackles…

Product profile — ABI INTERIORS Filled with practicalities you can't live without but don't necessarily want to live with, the average bathroom can feel like a challenge to your home's overall appeal. Doing it differently starts with making a mood board that allows you to compile and arrange elements you actually like to form a cohesive whole that works well and looks good. Those in the know might add fixtures and fittings from a beautifully crafted collection that's at home amid a number of aesthetics, from Art Deco to Japandi, allowing you to style it to suit you. By specialists in premium bathroom, kitchen and laundry products ABI Interiors, the Namika collection is characterised by reeded detail that's very now yet chic forever. Ornate ribbing joins robust construction from solid…

1 … HUNTING FOR the perfect sheer curtains to replace the ones my cat Pickle shredded when she was a kitten — and I may just have found them in the latest release from Mokum Textiles. Quadrata is a new checked design created with a fil coupé weave technique that makes it look translucent and textural all at once. 2 … LUSTING AFTER this cordless Pomponette lamp by Maison Balzac. I find lamps much more atmospheric than overhead downlights and this portable glass lantern lights up with the insertion of a candle. It's lovely for gently illuminating the dining table and setting a relaxing mood beside the bath. 3 … SNUGGLING UP IN Untouched World's Rubbish socks. It's encouraging to see brands continuing to think of new ways to approach…

Before we begin, a warning: this read might lead you to blow your renovation budget by inspiring big dreams for your heritage do-up. It's a highly entertaining and aspirational compilation of projects by Australian architects and designers charged with updating homes built between the 1920s and 1940s, amid the interwar period — and they haven't done so by halves. Twenty projects are arranged in three sections — Enduring British Traditions, A Nod To Hollywood and Ornament's Last Hurrah — respectively reflecting the influence of British architecture (such as the Old English style), Mediterranean vibes (eg Spanish Mission) and emerging modern aesthetics (like Art Deco) on Aussie design. Info about the eight most popular styles of this period, original drawings, reports and photos provide rich historical context as the architects, designers…

How to… It's a traditional belief that neutral walls — ours are in Resene Solitaire — are fail-safe in a bedroom for the sense of calm they project. That's perfectly true, and they also form an unobtrusive backdrop for more eye-catching elements you can play your way — in this instance an earth-toned DIY headboard. To make our folksy version, paint a 105cm x 195cm piece of timber with Resene Rewilding, leaving a 15cm border around the top and sides and masking with painter's tape (we use Sellotape Washi Advanced, from Resene ColorShops) to achieve a crisp edge. Allow to dry before removing the tape. Confine your punchier headboard hues to the border, so they're visually interesting, not overwhelming. Divide the border into 15cm squares, mask with tape, then paint…

Like the flax threads of the exquisite hieke/cloak framed in its entryway, everything in this extraordinary home ties in beautifully. It's connected to its owners’ past and present; to their loves and lifestyle; to the land, sea, stream and sky. If you were to view it from above, you'd also be struck by its intriguing shape, but more gazing up and out happens here. Dubbed Waitī House after a star in Te Kāhui o Matariki cluster that has links to fresh water and the protection of life within it, the home's name reflects its owners’ commitment to care for this piece of land, alongside which the Wairau Stream supplies a tinkling soundtrack. It also speaks to a passion for stargazing — one of the key experiences enabled within the experience…

Along with the typical requests for renovating and extending this bungalow in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland's Western Springs, Sam Atcheson of Dorrington Atcheson Architects (DAA) received some more unusual ones. Budding young gymnast Bea wanted carpet rather than timber floorboards in her bedroom (all the better to do handstands on) and her elder sister Florence was adamant that the original large entry lobby stay that way. Why? For dancing in the hallway, of course. Those two wishes were easily granted, but their idea for a two-storey house (it's not unusual for children to equate height with value) didn't fit with the wider architectural programme. Their parents Kate van Praagh and Mike Burgess vetoed that submission when they briefed in more connection to the land. The family moved into the 1922 bungalow that…

Oriented towards the lake, while also capturing views of the mountains and golf course, this urban bach in central Wānaka was designed by architects who know what to look for. James Hyndman and Erin Taylor of Hyndman Taylor made savvy decisions right down to the last detail in this NZIA Award-winning dwelling constructed by Rutch Building (profiled in our October/November 2023 issue). One of those was to run with coloured concrete flooring, for a subtle visual connection to the alpine environment in a hue that complements the FlaxPod Colorsteel exterior cladding. Going for PFL677 from PeterFell's Special Charcoal range was an astute choice that's the perfect partner for the warm ashin timber that surrounds the holiday home's main social spaces. Warm in its own right, but especially in a dark…

DESIGN — Two great things Thomas Seear-Budd and James Ross of Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington architecture and interiors studio Seear-Budd Ross share a passion for designing furniture; Motueka furniture makers Woodwrights are expert artisans. They met, they talked, they decided to design a contemporary table and chair that embody enduring principles of proportion, functionality, elegance and craftsmanship. So how did the to and fro go between you guys? James: Woodwrights’ enthusiasm for pursuing quality design meant the process was really enjoyable and collaborative. They made several prototypes throughout, which we visited the factory and had sent to our office to review and test. That was cool, since we don't have the luxury of making 1:1 prototypes when we design our buildings! We were trying to make the chair legs as slender as possible,…

NATURAL INCLINATIONS In developing her Symbiont collection for The Poster Club, illustrator Suzanne Lustig let her emotions lead the way — often in the evenings, as this night owl finds working after the clock strikes bed offers a tranquillity that makes her more expressive. Suzanne relocated to New Zealand from the Netherlands almost a decade ago, a move that has enabled her to spend more time with her biggest inspiration, Mother Nature, as evidenced by this splendid collection's six prints referencing her perennial muse, mushrooms. theposterclub.com; @suzanne_lustig ON THE REG Hey, cool coasters. They're made in South Africa by women from a non-profit initiative that empowers artisans with an outlet for their talent and the opportunity to earn a consistent income — and sold in Aotearoa by another clever lady,…

According to Florence S Fournier, Decorative Arts Specialist at New Zealand's premier auction house, Webb's, objects are more than objects — they can also be a form of personal expression and speak to a wider social history. In her role that involves tasks such as appraisal, art direction, styling photoshoots, curating gallery installations and creating a narrative around the items going up for sale in Webb's auctions, extensive research is essential to understand the historical context, provenance and significance of each piece. She and the Webb's team aim to highlight the objects’ uniqueness and value, alerting potential buyers to both their aesthetic and their historical importance. So Florence, how does all this inform the way you present a Webb's collection? I think it's important for each sale to have a…

Maker profile — PEOPLE German-born Elena Renker was into pottery from the moment she was introduced to it by a wonderful craft teacher as a child. She later made plans to spend a year working in a pottery in the village of Bergen in Germany's Bavaria, but before she did so, took up an invitation from a friend to spend three months at India's Golden Bridge Pottery. She had an amazing time, and for someone who'd always enjoyed making functional, everyday objects, it planted a seed. The year in Bergen followed, before she moved to Bavaria's capital, Munich, to study graphic design, got married, got pregnant and immigrated to New Zealand. In 1998, 20 years after her initial stints, she started potting again when the youngest of her five children…

HOMES It took the might of four men to carry the giant timber island into Gretchen Lowe's one-of-a-kind kitchen, and four again to instal the weighty fossil-stone sideboard in her treasure-filled lounge. For all the muscle power she and her husband Blair Houston enlisted to renovate the home they share with their children Gwynnie and Margot, though, there's no force stronger than her own creativity. Ever since baking her first batch of lamingtons at the age of seven, formidable talent Gretchen has been a maker through and through, and has turned her unique skill set into a career that combines interior design, food styling, recipe creation and photography, and sees her and her content appear in books and magazines, on TV and in a regular slot on Radio NZ. This…